Electrical connectors used in the aeronautics industry are required to meet the standards set by Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee, such as ARINC 600. Conventional ARINC connectors typically have a body with two parts including a front insert and a rear insert with corresponding passageways in each for receiving contacts. Multiple steps are required to assemble the conventional ARINC connector including machining individual contacts, installing retaining clips in the passageways of the front insert, bonding the front and rear inserts, and finally installing the contacts into the passageways such that the retaining clips retain the contacts in the passageways. Thus, the conventional ARINC connectors require a number of parts that must be individually assembled together. The conventional ARINC connectors are also bulky and heavy.
Therefore, a need exists for a simplified connector that can be easily made and assembled, is lighter in weight, and meets the ARINC standard.